Category: Educational Material

Water Features Aren’t Difficult!

Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall4 Comments

By Pamela Neeley

Around the farm, I have all kinds of lazy water features. Let’s take a look!

This one has a drip from the faucet keeping it full and the water moving. Even large birds, cardinals, come here for water.

Here’s another lazy water feature. The solar fountain keeps things moving. The plant is rooting in a convenient terracotta strawberry pot.  Also there for fish “enrichment”
I put water hose into a pot when topping it off so the water movement doesn’t create mucky water. The fish are doing well and get fed pellets or mosquito larva from nearby sources.

Lazy water source is by the back door faucet. Shallow kitchen container with shard and pot in corner. When there is a fish, they have a place to hide under the shard. The pot provides extra climbing surface so the toads can get out when they find themselves in here. When mosquitos build up, I move a fish over here for a day. The faucet drips into the container when I’m watering around the house.

This large lazy water feature container is not set up right now. I have an electric ceramic fountain, usually 6-8 fish, and a water plant – this is an arrowhead. When set up it creates the pleasing sound of running water, but being under an oak tree presents problems with leaves.

The next lazy water feature is a plant container from a big box store. There’s a pottery shard for fish to hide under, and a pedestal for the water plant and solar fountain. This solar fountain has legs to keep it from hugging the wall and emptying the water on to the ground. I’ve lost one leg, so water escapes regularly.

One happy fish, pedestal  for plant on pedestal  – but too hot right now.


Fountains do need to have algae and minerals scrubbed off top to keep it accepting sun power.  
It’s a very low tech, not too expensive way to have fountain, fish, and a water feature. Just use what you may already have. Solar fountains range from $12-15 on line.

And finally, here’s another low-cost water feature at night. There are two toads enjoying the water at 10:30 pm. One is partially on the solar fountain and partly on the rim of the submerged terracotta pot. He won’t drown.

Dog Days at the Wildscape

Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Catherine Johnson

Kim and I were at the Wildscape  from 7:0O PM- 8:00 PM to water plants and tidy up for the upcoming full moon event, Monday, August 19, at 6:30 PM.

Sideoats Grama, the State Grass of Texas.

For the most part Texas natives have held up amazingly well with minimal attention.  In cooler weather, the garden will be groomed and new plantings put in. We noticed it felt cooler with a breeze blowing and decided to do no more weeding until the Dog Days of Summer are over. 

Blackfoot Daisy

Pictured are some of the toughest Texas Natives – Sideoats Grama, Blackfoot Daisy, Gaillardia, Salvia, Kidneywood, and the garden mascots.

KIdneywood
Salvia
Gaillardia
Guinea Fowl

Birding at the Bird Station

Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall4 Comments

By Sue Ann Kendall

I’d promised myself that I’d make another visit to the bird station our chapter is working on to see what birds are there this time of year. Even though I wasn’t feeling too well, I figured I could sit in the shade for an hour, so off I went to the special area behind Bird and Bee Farm near Milano, home of our Wildscape project (and chickens and turkeys!)

Rio Grande Turkeys and the Wildscape entrance.

There have been some improvements to the site, as Cathy Johnson posted earlier this week. I enjoyed checking out the new raised beds, charming seating, and a beautiful birdbath watered by a tinkling rain chain.

Entrance
Raised bed
Raised bed
Birdbath before Gene fixed it (cows knocked it down)
The donated furniture from Ann Collins

Last time I visited was three weeks ago, when I identified eleven birds. This week I found seventeen! When you sit quietly, the birds forget about you and go about their business catching bugs and picking delicious morsels off the cedar elms.

Bird action headquarters

I got to see Northern Cardinals, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Eastern Bluebirds, and precious Blue-gray gnatcatchers feeding themselves. Not seen, but very well heard were a Swainson’s and Red-tailed Hawk. Other hidden friends were Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Blue Jay.

Female Cardinal is in there.

Two juveniles surprised me. One was a young Cardinal who landed very. Eat me and proceeded to find multiple morsels to eat.

Watch it chow down.

You can tell it’s a juvenile by its black beak. It’s growing in adult feathers, so doesn’t look too great.

Young Northern Cardinal

The other juvenile was a real puzzle. It was enjoying the water chain and easy to photograph, but I couldn’t ID it. It had pretty eyes but not many markings. I ran my photos through Merlin Bird ID and it got no results. But when I tried iNaturalist, the result came up Painted Bunting. It didn’t look like the female, who is rather green, but as I paged through the pictures, I saw the juvenile. Bingo! It has the wing and beak markings I saw, and the same eye ring. So, there we go. I didn’t see or hear any adults

The young bunting

Here are today’s birds:

  • American Crow
  • Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
  • Blue Jay
  • Carolina Chickadee
  • Carolina Wren
  • Eastern Bluebird
  • Mourning Dove
  • Northern Cardinal
  • Northern Mockingbird
  • Painted Bunting
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker
  • Red-tailed Hawk
  • Rock Pigeon
  • Swainson’s Hawk
  • Tufted Titmouse
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Of course I checked out the plants, so that if I get the area declared an official spot on iNaturalist, the observations can go there. A few were really pretty, especially the berries.

Eastern Amberwing on Western Ragweed
Dove weed, beloved of butterflies
Pokeweed
American Beautyberry
Tievine
Cuban Jute
Beautiful live oak on the adjacent property.
Oval Ambersnail

I’m going to miss the dedication, but I’ll be back to see what’s here at the beginning of September!

Wildscape and Bird Station News

Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall1 Comment

by Catherine Johnson

We acquired several benches and chairs from Marketplace for the Wildscape and delivered them at noon, which is not as hot as later in the day. Many pollinators were flying around, including hummers. 

Kim Summers and I went back late evening to water and stayed until 8:00 pm, resting by the big fountain in the shade, while Cindy Rek told us about the Rio Grande Turkeys being delivered to Bird and Bee Farm, where our projects are located. 

Pictured are the new pathways in the birding station that Gene Rek has been working on. We also placed 100-year-old furniture in the Bird Station, which Ann Collins chose. 

Pictures also show new beds, which will allow native birds to enjoy plants that are watered by a drip system.

We are excited to be viewing all at our full moon Wildscape Celebration later this month: Monday, August 19, 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm. Guests are welcome.

The Ugly Caterpillar’s Demise

Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall2 Comments

by Lisa Milewski

So many times, I have heard someone say, “I just killed the most ugly caterpillar I have ever seen.” 

My face turns to horror in my barely contained reaction. After a brief pause to gather my thoughts, I swiftly turn this into an opportunity to educate others.

Remember, this was once a caterpillar! Photo by Donna Lewis.

I ask two questions. One, to describe the caterpillar, and two, what plant or vegetable was it on.  Based on those two things, I am usually able to identify the caterpillar. I then proceed to let them know that the ugly caterpillar was going to turn into a beautiful butterfly which in turn is a pollinator that will actually benefit your plant or vegetable. They had no idea! 

Wilson’s Wood-nymph Moth. Photo by Sue Ann Kendall.

Sometimes the reaction is, “but they were eating up the leaves.”  I then ask if it was a miniscule number of leaves or is it completely devoured. If it’s miniscule and it is a mature plant or vegetable or fruit tree, I say let it be since it won’t be long until it turns into a beautiful butterfly and that mature plant will quickly recover. If it is an immature, young, plant or vegetable, I suggest protecting it with crop covers until it matures and can handle the occasional munching from those caterpillars. 

Black Swallowtail. Photo by Sara Faivre.

At this point, I remind them of the many benefits the pollinators provide to include bees, wasps, hummingbirds, etc., and how it actually benefits their plants, vegetables or fruit trees by pollination.  For most (not all), it is critical that the pollen gets transferred from the male plants to the female plants in order to reproduce. Although some plants, like cedar trees, reproduce by the wind that spreads their pollen, most others rely on pollinators. 

Checkered White. Photo by Sue Ann Kendall.

The next time you think about killing that “ugly” caterpillar, bee or insect, please look it up to identify whether or not it is a friend or foe. If it a beneficial pollinator, we can always find a way to co-exist.